Broken Windows
by Miss-Nyss95
Summary: What does a mild mannered bookstore owner and a fiercely aggressive mixed martial artist have in common? Well a broken window that needs fixing for one. **Rated M for foul language, violence, drug abuse and possible sexual content in later chapters.** Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima.
1. Levy McGarden

**Yoooo. So this is a new fic I'm working on. Not much to say. I know the summary was kind of vague and terrible but basically it's an AU were Levy owns a book store and Gajeel is a mixed martial artist or a UFC fighter but he's rarely in any legitimate leagues. Gajeel has a nasty habit of causing problems for himself and sometimes those around him blah, blah, blah. You'll see as you read. This isn't going to be a short fic and I should warn you that there is a lot of reference to substance abuse in Broken Windows. Hope you don't hate it.**

**Fairy Tail and all of it's characters are owned by Hiro Mashima.**

* * *

Levy McGarden stood, hands on her hips, broad smile on her face, gazing at a quaint, two story building. It wasn't all that impressive. A small plain little red brick structure, its most distinguishing feature being the massive bay windows located on either side of the door. At the moment each window sported a banner stating in large letters _**'GRAND OPENING'**_. With a giddy little skip Levy walked up to the front door. She stopped before entering and brushed her fingers across the words that had been painted onto the door only days before. _'The Garden' _the door said. In slightly smaller letters below that, _'New and Gently Used Books'. _With a happy sigh Levy let herself in and flipped the open sign to closed.

Once inside she locked the door and shut the blinds, doing the same to the bay windows.

"We did it, Dad," she said to the empty shop. "We finally turned that dream into something good."

Levy couldn't keep the smile from her face and she remembered the long conversations she and her father used have about opening their own bookstore one day. The two would spend hours talking about how it would be. They discussed the books that would line the shelves and of how many customers they would have. Even after he had passed away Levy could remember telling him how she imagined the bookstore would look. She would give him every tiny, insignificant piece of information she could think of.

"We're getting close," she would sometimes whisper to the photo of him she had in her living room. Now she was finally there.

In the storage room there came a loud thump, followed by a muffled swear.

"God damn it Droy!"

Levy grinned and bit back a laugh before slipping into the storage room herself to watch her two friends and temporary employees bicker about the box of books Droy had just dropped. Any one who hadn't known the two for a long time would have a very difficult time believing the two were friends. Although both men were slightly above average height that was where the similarities ended. Jet was lean and had fair hair and light eyes whereas Droy was a pudgy man with dark hair and eyes. Day and night, Jet and Droy were, and not just in their looks.

"Shut up, Jet!" Droy was saying. "You shouldn't have startled me."

How the hell did I scare you. We've been in the same room for almost half an hour!" Jet snapped back.

"Startled!" Droy corrected his friend irately.

Levy decided to step in at that point before one of them stormed off.

"Alright boys, that's more than enough," Levy broke in, leaning down to help them collect the books off the floor. Both men started then blushed furiously.

"We didn't see you there," Jet mumbled. "You can be really quiet when you want to be."

"Sorry for dropping these," Droy said, waving vaguely at the last book still on the floor.

Levy grabbed the last book and took a look at the cover. It was just another bad teen supernatural romance novel.

Levy shrugged as she put it in the box."Don't worry about it. That thing has bad literature written all over it. You couldn't pay me to read something as silly as that."

Droy smiled at her, relieved that she wasn't angry, before picking the box up and placing it on on of the shelves.

"Had it been a good book like _The Giver_ or _The Help_ I would have had to fire you for sure though," she teased.

Both men smiled and let out a light laugh.

Levy rocked back on her heels and clasped her hands behind her back, gazing around the room. It was still a mess with boxes and loose books laying about, despite Jet and Droy's efforts. Later she would have to work towards organizing the room properly, but for now that could wait.

"So," she said, turning her attention to her friends. "Did we do okay today?"

"Of course!" Droy said.

"I'm not sure we could have had a better possible opening," Jet agreed. "The weather was perfect today."

"All the promoting we did really paid off," Droy added.

"I'm really glad Lucy was able to help with that."

"Shame she couldn't be here today."

"Well she'll be in tomorrow."

"Yeah but we won't."

The two bantered for awhile longer, chatting about the ridiculous amount of customers they'd each helped and how many books they had sold.

"You may want to order some more copies of _The Fault In Our Stars,_" Jet said, "It's really popular since the movie just came out and all."

Levy nodded.

"You should also add _The Maze Runner_ to that list. There's only four or five copies left and that's after only one day."

"Sounds good," Levy said. "It was the grand opening today so I imagine things will quiet down and steady out before long."

Levy turned away from her friends and walked back into the main store. Jet and Droy followed suit, closing the door behind them.

"So, do you guys want to join me for a celebratory dinner or do you have to get home?"

"Depends,"Jet said with a smirk, "Will we still be on the clock when you feed us?"

Levy laughed but Droy punched his friend, "Don't be such an ass. If you piss her off she may not invite us over for dinner again."

"Of course I would," Levy tutted. She rested her hands on her hips. "I could never turn away my best friends and most faithful employees."

Jet rolled his eyes at her playful sarcasm and started making his way to the spiral staircase near the back of the store that lead to Levy's apartment.

"Besides, who said I was the one cooking?"

* * *

Levy stood in front of the stove, stirring a pot of spaghetti sauce while Jet and Droy set the table. Jet was talking about how his girlfriend was going to Mexico for two weeks with her parents.

"Ya, her cousins getting married down their so her parents decided to make a big family trip out of it. Her brother and his wife are going too."

"Weren't you invited?" Droy asked. "I thought her parents liked you."

"Yeah, they like me fine and they did invite me but I just don't have the time to go. The wedding is in like a month. It's not enough time for me to plan anything at all. Besides, Levy doesn't have enough staff here yet for me to go."

Jet turned to Levy, putting his hands up.

"Not that I'm blaming you or anything."

"Of course not," Levy said. "I know what you meant. And you're right. Including myself I only have four staff members. I absolutely have to hire at least one more person, if not two."

"Well, you don't have to rush or anything. It looks like we can manage things for the time being at least," Droy put in.

Levy nodded and noticed that the water was boiling for the pasta. Before she could reach for it her phone began to ring. She asked Droy to take care of the pasta and went into her bedroom before answering her phone.

"Hello. Levy McGarden speaking," she said.

"Hey Lev, It's Lucy," came a cheerful reply.

"Oh hey Luce, are you back?"

"Just about. I'm in a cab on my way home. So how'd it go?" Lucy sounded excited to hear, like they were talking about Levy going on a date rather than her running a business.

"It went even better than expected. You should have seen it Lucy, I lost count of how many customers came in. And I already need to order at least three more titles in."

"That's great! I really with I could have been there," Lucy sounded almost mournful that she hadn't been at the store that day.

"It's alright," Levy said. "I know that the convention was important to you. How did that go by the way?"

"It was great!" Now Lucy sounded really excited. "There were workshops for every style of writing. They had, like, a million different seminars and you'll never guess who one of the speakers was!"

"Who?" Levy asked, genuinely curious.

"The one and only J.K. Rowling! In the flesh. It was amazing Levy! I thought I had a good handle on writing but the stuff that I learned was phenomenal!"

"That's great Lucy," Levy said. "You can tell me the rest of the details tomorrow, okay? I've got dinner on the stove right now. I'm pretty sure it's almost done. If you want you can come over and join us. Jet and Droy and I are just celebrating."

"I'd love to but I really need some sleep. Big day tomorrow and all." She punctuated the sentence with a yawn.

"Okay, sounds good. I'll be sure to save you some."

"Thanks Levy," Lucy replied, yawning again. "Well I'm just about home so I'm gonna let you go. See you tomorrow."

"Yup, see you then."

After she hung up she tossed her phone on the bed. The phone hit the blankets, then bounced back up and flopped onto the floor on the other side of her bed with a soft thump. Levy sighed and crawled onto her bed. She laid down on her stomach and peered over the edge. Since she lived alone she had pushed her bed so that it nearly hit the other wall. If not for the large base boards that produced the obscene amounts of heat Levy felt she needed come the winter months she would have it right against the wall. She laid down on her stomach and peered over the edge of the bed.

Her phone had disappeared in all of the random things she had sitting next to it. She sighed again and began picking through the junk, promising to clean it all up before winter. She grabbed some clothes and threw them in the general direction of the hamper, then pushed some sporting equipment she rarely used out of the way. Her phone was right next to a dejected looking base ball bat, half hidden under the bed. She grabbed her phone and shimmied off the bed before rejoining Jet and Droy for dinner.

In the dinning room, Jet and Droy were already sitting at the table, waiting for her.

"Sorry," Levy said as she joined them. "It was Lucy. She just wanted to let me know that she was almost home."

Droy nodded. "That's good. Did she mention how that writers seminar thing went?"

Nodding, Levy spooned some pasta onto her plate. "She had a fantastic time by the sound of it. Apparently J.K. Rowling was there."  
"Cool," commented Jet. He was digging through his bag at the moment.

Levy cocked her head to the side before asking, "Jet? What are you doing?"

"Getting my congratulation gift," Jet murmured before pulling out a very expensive looking bottle of wine.

Droy stood up and went to the cupboard to get wine glasses.

"Oh, Jet," Levy said, trying to suppress a grin. "You really didn't need to get that."

"Oh yes he did," Droy said as he returned with the glasses and a cork screw. "After all the work you put into 'The Garden' you damn well deserve this."

Levy smiled at her friends, "I think that this has quite possibly been the best day of my entire life."

"Damn straight," said Jet, opening the bottle and pouring each of them a glass. Then he raised his glass and Levy and Droy followed suit.

"To Levy!"

* * *

**Okay so chapter one. Not to much going on it was just meant to give you the basic run down on where Levy sits at the moment. We meet Gajeel in the next chapter so be excited. We'll also meet Natsu and possibly Gray and Juvia. Well that's all for now folks I would really appreciate it if you could give me a few reviews. Let me know if you like my writing style and the content so far. It's nice to know where I have room for improvement. So please please review and I'll have chapter two up as soon as I am able. Have a good one everybody!  
**


	2. Gajeel Redfox

**Heyyoo! So, new chapter. This actually took a little bit longer than I'd hoped to post so my apologies everyone. I had a rather busy week. Anyways. Here's the new chapter.**

**Fairy Tail and its characters are owned by Hiro Mashima **

* * *

Gajeel Redfox watched the smoke he exhaled curl in the air and he flicked ash from his cigarette. He walked slowly, despite having somewhere to be tonight. He still had plenty of time to get there. Besides, as per usual, he was waiting on his companion. Sort of.

"Go on ahead!" Is what Natsu had yelled at him from the third story window of his apartment. The pink haired idiot was struggling with a shirt when he stuck his head out the window. "I can catch up!"

Gajeel had just sighed and lit a cigarette, then turned and walked away.

True to his word, Natsu came jogging up behind him before Gajeel could even finish his smoke.

"You got one for me?" he asked, pointing at the cigarette dangling from Gajeel's lips.

"Tch." He snorted. "Wouldn't give you one even if I did have any left. Dumb ass."

Natsu gave him that shit-eating grin of his before readjusting the bag hanging off one of his shoulders.

"Sorry I wasn't ready sooner. I took a nap and slept through the alarm," said Natsu with a huff.

Gajeel grunted in response and the pair lapsed into silence as they walked.

Natsu quickly tired of the quiet and cast a sidelong look at his companion before speaking. "So, Juvia still going out with what's-his-fuck?"

Gajeel groaned, "Don't even ask. For the love of God don't ask." He ran his fingers through his hair.

Natsu laughed, "It can't have ended that badly, right?"

"You're wrong. Although, she did say that she's done with other men now. Something about remaining devoted to Gray or something stupid and semi-poetic like that. I really do hope she's finally given up on using other guys as a band-aid for not bein' able to shack up with Stripper Boy."

"Has she been crying a lot?"

"Enough to flood the fucking apartment," replied Gajeel solemnly.

"And you didn't do anything to make her feel better?" Natsu pressed, a disapproving tone seeping into his words.

"I bought her Ben and Jerry's and told her to stop being a little bitch about it."

"Wow," Natsu said. "You are literally the worst person."

"It's how I normally help her cope with her break-ups and it's worked fine so far." Gajeel shrugged and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He opened the pack and was greeted by empty space.

"You just said you were out of them like two minutes ago," laughed Natsu as he plucked the empty package from his hands and tossed it in a garbage bin they were passing by.

Gajeel sighed almost mournfully as Natsu tossed the empty package away. He ran his his hands through his hair and fished an elastic from his jacket pocket. He stuck the band between his teeth before reigning in his hair. As per usual, his fingers caught in the tangled mess a few times, but he'd never once considered cutting any of it off. Not in many, many years. Finally, after gathering the hair together at the nape of his neck, he quickly twisted the elastic around and around until he was satisfied that it was secure.

"So how's that job of yours going?" Natsu asked as they drew ever closer to their destination. "That new housing development or whatever."

Gajeel groaned. "It's almost done," he complained. "And then it's back to pounding the pavement."

"Oh, come on, it's not so bad," said Natsu, shouldering his friend.

Gajeel grunted and pushed back, sending Natsu a bit off balance due to his bag. Natsu stumbled a bit and threatened to topple over completely, but Gajeel grabbed a hold of Natsu's shirt and righted him before that could happen.

Gajeel grabbed Natsu's bag and weighed it a bit on each arm before tossing it back to the younger man.

"What the hell is in that thing?" he asked. "It should not be that heavy."

Natsu shrugged and put it on, "Just some of my stuff. I'll go through it eventually. Seriously though, what's the big deal with getting a new job?"

"I just hate doing it. Job hunting's not really my thing. I mean, look at me," he tugged at his clothes. "I don't exactly scream employable."

"You look fine to me."

"Ya, but you've seen me at my worst," Gajeel said. "And you're a total fucking idiot."

"Oh, fuck you," Natsu said, punching him in the arm. "Seriously though, what's wrong with the way you look? And what's that got to do with you getting a job?"

"You are twenty-five years old, dude. Can you really be that naive?" Gajeel asked, throwing his hands in the air. Natsu was about to reply but Gajeel waved his hands, cutting him off. "Never mind, of course you can. You've been raised surrounded by optimists and the likes."

"Being optimistic doesn't make a person naive," Natsu pouted.

"Whatever. You've had the same job since you were, like, eighteen. You haven't had to job hunt as much as I have." Gajeel noted they were getting very close to their destination. "Just trust me when I tell you, it sucks."

"I'll take your word for it I guess." Natsu said. "Are you going to get back into construction, you think, or what?"

"Not much point. There isn't a lot of construction work in the winter. The weather doesn't really permit it. To be honest I just really want a steady job. It doesn't even have to be full time. It's not like I don't make enough money in the ring. I just need something to keep me occupied and keep Makarov off my back."

Natsu nodded, "Well, good luck."

With that, the pair rounded the corner and arrived at their destination.

* * *

Gajeel blinked as light and sound assaulted his senses. Natsu did the same. The pair had always been a bit more sensitive than most to things like that. Their walk had ended at an old pub in a more industrial area of town. The pub's parking lot had been cleared of any cars. Instead dozens of people milled around a large hexagonal cage and several floodlights. Gajeel stepped in front of Natsu and the pair began to pick their way through the crowd, trying to reach the cage. As they got closer they were able to see that the cage was lifted a few feet off the ground and had most definitely seen better days. The mat was stained with sweat, dirt and blood and the chain link fence was warped in several places. Gajeel frowned at it and turned back to Natsu.

"Try not to contract AIDs while your in there,"

"I don't think that's how that works."

"Shaddup," Gajeel snapped, whacking Natsu across the side of the head. "Smart ass."

"Boys!" A voice hollered over the din in the lot. Gajeel turned his back to his friend in time to see a tall, nervous looking man scurry towards them. He made this nervous gesture over and over again and kept wiping sweat off his dark skin.

"Good to see you Nadi," Gajeel stuck out his hand which Nadi excepted.

"You as well Gajeel. When Lily said that you could help me out tonight," Nadi wiped sweat off his brow again, "I can't tell you how relieved I was. I was quite frustrated to know that the guy who normally fights for me ended up in jail." He was looking around, continuing to make his strange gesture. "It wouldn't be so bad if I hadn't already set up this fight but I have and -" he cut himself off and looked back at Gajeel then over his shoulder at Natsu. "Thanks again for taking this fight on such short notice."

"It's not a problem," Natsu piped up. "It'll be nice to fight outside a gym again. It's been a while for me."

Nadi nodded vigorously. "Well just remember how rough some of these guys can get," He warned.

"Don't worry to much about the hot head. Surprisingly enough, he's not all talk."

"Screw you too, Gaj."

Nadi laughed a bit. "Well, I'll leave you to it then. Come see me at the end of the fight, okay? If you can't find me just go wait by my car," he pointed to one of the ones parked on the street. "Twelve hundred if you win but only six if you loose and that's after I've taken my cut. Good luck." With that Nadi turned away and disappeared into the crowd.

"Easy money," Natsu said. He radiated confidence and excitement.

"Hmm," replied Gajeel. "Come on, let's get you ready. Looks like the fight's gonna start in a bit."

Ten minutes later Gajeel stood just outside the cage, watching Natsu bounce from one foot to the other. The idiot had a massive smile plastered on his face as he rolled his shoulders and waited for the match to begin. Gajeel had barely glanced at his opponent before deciding that Natsu would have this match in a matter of moments. The other guy radiated a bloated sense of self confidence and he wore an ugly sneer on his face, as though he was positive he was better than every other person around him. He was bigger than Natsu but that wouldn't save him. Natsu hit a lot harder than most thought possible—and he was fast.

"Natsu!" Gajeel shouted.

Natsu looked over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't fuck up!"

He grinned, showing off his mouth guard. Then the bell rang and he turned away.

As expected Natsu had made short work of his opponent. The guy had actually gone down a lot quicker than Gajeel would have expected, given his size. The bell had barely finished ringing before Natsu had sprung on his opponent. As was the true style of the young fighter he hit with nearly unmatched ferocity and speed. The bigger, slower man never knew what hit him. Gajeel couldn't help but laugh at how quickly Natsu was able to wipe that smirk off the greasy fuck's face. The other guy was quickly backed into a corner with his hand up to protect his head. Natsu was undeterred and struck out with his leg. His knee came up and connected with Greasy's stomach with a solid thump and he doubled over. Natsu took the opportunity to get him into a nice headlock and in less than a minute, Greasy had tapped out.

* * *

"One-thousand-one. One-thousand-two," Nadi finished counting the money before placing it into Gajeel's hand. "You did a pretty good number on your opponent today, Natsu. I'm really very impressed."

"Ya, well, it comes with being awesome," Natsu boasted with a laugh.

Gajeel rolled his eyes and shook Nadi's hand again, "Thanks again for the tip on this fight."

"No, thank you," replied Nadi, wiping sweat off his brow again. "I would have been in a real pinch if you hadn't convinced Natsu to come out tonight."

"It didn't take much convincing to be honest," Gajeel looked at Natsu. "As always, this one's rarin' for any fight."

"Damn right I am."

Nadi nodded, "Well, you two have a good night. I'll see you again soon, I'm sure."

With that, Nadi turned and waved before returning to his car.

"Here," Gajeel said, handing over all the money Nadi had just given him.

"You haven't taken your share," Natsu said, frowning.

"Haven't done anything to earn a share."

"I wouldn't have even had a fight tonight if you hadn't asked me." Natsu pulled a few bills from the rest. "Just take a couple hundred bucks."

Gajeel considered trying to refuse the money but knew it would just lead to an argument and the money would find its way into his bag or apartment in the end. So, with a sigh he took the money and stuffed it in his pocket.

"Fine, you happy now?"

Natsu grinned, "Yup. Now, I'm gonna go grab a beer or two before I go home. How bout you?"

Gajeel shrugged, "I've got tomorrow off so there's no harm in a few drinks."

* * *

It was nearly 2:00 AM before the pair made it out of the bar. Neither had really had too much to drink. Instead they had kicked ass at pool, making the night even more profitable in the process. Of course, it also meant that they had made a few new enemies. Obviously, drunk men who lost their money and their pride were quick to anger.

"You coming by the gym tomorrow?" Natsu asked as they walked away from the still busy pub.

"Maybe," Gajeel replied, yanking his hair free from its pony tail. "Gramps wants to talk to me, so I probably should get over there soon. Don't know if I'll stick around though."

"What's he wanna talk you about?" Nastu asked.

Gajeel shrugged. "Hell if I know," he lied easily. He didn't like lying but, he had gotten very good at it over the years. It was just part of his life—it had been for a really long time. Very few people knew just how convincing a liar he could be.

_I should be a fucking actor, _Gajeel thought, _I'm totally Brad Pitt material._

He chuckled at the thought and Natsu gave him a look, "What's so funny?"

Gajeel shook his head. "Nothing."

Natsu opened his mouth the speak again but before he could, a bottle sailed by his head and crashed to the ground somewhere to his right.

Both men snapped to attention, turning to whoever had thrown the bottle. Gajeel recognized him instantly as the greasy motherfucker from the fight earlier. It was obvious that the guy was completely hammered, and right pissed off. Gajeel wouldn't have been worried except for the fact that he was flanked by three more guys. Gajeel recognized them from pool.

"What the fuck!" Natsu snapped, taking a step forward.

"Natsu."

"You fuckers think you can just come over here and take out money just like that, huh?" Greasy asked.

"We didn't take anyone's money!" Natsu growled back. "It's not my problem that you're a shit fighter."

"Natsu!" Gajeel repeated, his voice sharper this time. Gajeel wasn't a fool. Drunk or not, four against two were not good odds.

"What'd you just say t'me?!" shouted Greasy. "Get off your high horse you little pink fuck."

"Or maybe we should just knock you off," one of the others said, stepping forward. The rest followed suit, getting slightly closer.

Ever the careless hothead, Natsu spread his arms wide, taking another step of his own, "Bring it!"

Gajeel realized that Natsu was drunker than he had originally thought. "Oh no," he said, grabbing Natsu by the collar and swinging him around. "We are not doing this. Not today."

"Like hell you ain't!" Greasy shouted, charging forward and taking a swing at Gajeel.

Gajeel easily avoided the blow and retaliated by smashing his fist into Greasy's nose. He felt it crack, and blood spewed onto his hand. The man howled and reeled back, clutching his nose. Gajeel wasted no time; he spun on his heels and made a break for it, pushing Natsu ahead of him.

"We can take 'em!" howled Natsu as they ran.

"The fact the your actually running tells me you're smart enough to know that's not true! Now come on!"

Gajeel could hear the drunks following them and he growled in frustration.

_Oh yeah, no harm in a few drinks. No harm at all._

* * *

**_Hope you all liked this chapter. I had actually planned to make this chapter longer but more than that I wanted to post it. Anyways, obviously Gajeel and Natsu have found themselves in a bit of a bind. Whatever will they do? Hopefully I won't have so many distractions coming up and I'll be able to post the next chapter soon.  
_**

**_Thanks to seulesaffie for the review. I tried really hard to make sure that I caught all my mistakes and have even recruited my awesome roommate to edit for me. Alas, if still there are spelling or grammatical errors, I do apologize. Thanks again._**

**_To everyone else please continue to review. Tell me what you do and do not like so far. What else would you like to know about the world and the characters. Who are you hoping to make an appearance. Whatever. It would be great if you did the thing. Anyways I need to go to sleep now. Hope you enjoyed the new chapter._**


	3. The Window

**Hello kids. New chapter already. WOW. Don't expect them to come out this quickly all the time. I was just feeling inspired. Anyways not much to be said other than I hope you enjoy the newest chapter.**

**Fairy Tail and it's characters are owned by Hiro Mashima**

* * *

"Go, go, go!" Gajeel hollered at Natsu's back.

His feet pounded against the ground as he chased after Natsu, his bag slapping against his back as he ran. Looking over his shoulder, Gajeel saw that Greasy and his boys were keeping up, despite being completely, violently smashed.

Turning forward again he noticed that he was already overtaking Natsu. He may have been a faster man than Natsu, but there was no way he should be gaining on him this fast. If he kept up that pace the drunks would catch them for sure. Natsu and Gajeel might have been damn good fighters but they still couldn't walk away from a fight against four guys unscathed. _What the fuck __i__s slowing Natsu down?_ Then it dawned on him. _The bag!_

"Natsu! Lose the fucking bag!" ordered Gajeel. "It's slowing you down!"

"No fucking way!" Natsu snapped. "I've got Dad's scarf in this thing!"

Gajeel cringed at the mention of Igneel. There was no way Natsu would abandon the bag.

"Fine!" Gajeel shouted, "Give it here, then!" Without giving him a chance to argue, he yanked the bag off his friend's back and slung it over his own shoulder. "Now pick up the goddamn pace!"

With that he sped up, trying to put more distance between himself and their pursuers. Natsu kept up easily now and even took the lead, taking them around corners and into alley ways in an attempt to shake off Greasy and company. When Gajeel bothered to look back again he noticed one of them had fallen behind—but the others were still going strong.

"Fucking Christ," he spat, his frustration mounting.

Natsu was looking left and right, searching for an escape, and took a sharp turn into an alley. Gajeel followed only to find that Natsu had slipped into another, smaller alleyway that lead back to one of the main streets. The corner had been sharper than Gajeel had expected, so he ended up skidding and slamming into the wall before righting himself and continuing. Slipping through the tiny alley, they emerged in an area of town nicknamed "_The Red Brick District". _It mainly consisted of older buildings. Meaning tightly packed buildings, and fewer side roads to hide in.

"Well, fu—"

Gajeel didn't get to finish before Natsu yanked on his shirt and pointed, taking off again.

"Wait!" Gajeel called out. He chased after him in an attempt to stop him, but Natsu had already ducked into one of the other alleyways. Gajeel followed—and for a few moments they were out of sight, but now they were trapped. As Gajeel had thought, the alley ended in a tall chain-link fence. They had no chance to make it over the top without being found first. "Idiot! I told you not to come down here."

Natsu waved him off, and began to retrace his steps.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Natsu just kept ignoring him and began yanking off his shirt. He hastily wrapped it around his hand, running up a small flight of stairs to a side door, with little glass window panes on the top half. Natsu reeled back before punching through the bottom-right pane.

Gajeel, who had caught on too late to stop him, rushed up the stairs after him.

"_Idiot!_" he hissed, whacking him across the back of the head, before sticking his arm through the hole and opening the door. _It was broken already_, he justified. He proceeded to push Natsu inside. Not wasting time to check behind him, he slid inside after his friend and shut the door, crouching low.

Gajeel glanced over at Natsu, panting, before reaching over and punching him on the shoulder, hard.

Natsu swore under his breath and reached up to rub his arm. "What the hell was that for?"

"For being a fucking idiot! What the hell were you thinking? Taunting them like that? Then to put a cherry on top of the shit-pile, you break into someone's goddamn house!"

"It's not a house, shit-for-brains, it's a book store." He turned away from the door for a moment to point at some bookshelves.

Gajeel, turned his head to see that this was indeed, a bookstore. Gajeel was about to speak when voices outside the door had both of them redirect their attention to the door. They sat in tense silence, hoping that the drunks wouldn't notice the broken window. As they shuffled further away Gajeel turned his attention back to Natsu.

"The fact that it's a business doesn't change anything," he growled. "Actually, you could have made things worse for us. Most businesses have fucking alarms and shit."

"Well," retorted Natsu, "obviously, this one doesn't."

"_That doesn't make it any better!_"

Outside, he could still hear shuffling and the muffled voices of their would-be attackers. The two of them would have to stick it out a bit longer before they could leave.

"How much do you think we should leave for the window?" Natsu whispered.

"Fuck if I know." He glanced over at his friend who was glaring in a contemplative manner at the window he had broken. "You know, I thought you were drunk earlier but now I realize you're just an asshole."

Natsu grinned and turned to look at him—but as he moved, he focused on something behind Gajeel, and his smile froze.

Gajeel spun around just in time to see a tiny woman with vibrant blue hair standing behind him. Her hair was ruffled and messy and she wore baggy pjs with fuzzy slippers. The most noticeable thing about her at that moment was the wooden bat gripped in her hands. As he had turned towards her, she gave a surprised squeak and swung the bat, aiming directly for his head.

* * *

Levy had been upstairs, sitting in bed, going over some paperwork when she heard the sound of shattering glass. She looked up from her work and took off her glasses.

"What on Earth," she mumbled, pushing aside her papers and going over to the window she had left open. She pulled aside the curtains and looked into the alley below. Three or four men were milling about below her, obviously looking for something. Withdrawing her head, she closed both the window and the curtain. Then she tip-toed out of her room and opened the door separating her apartment from the store. From downstairs she could hear tiny bits of movement and two voices. _Am I__ being robbed? __I__ ha__ve__n't even been open a week and __I'm__ being robbed already?! _

Furious, she slipped back into her apartment. _How dare someone come into __my__ store and try and take __my__ hard earned money, or worse yet—__my__ books!_ Later, she would think back on it and wonder what burglars could possibly want with books, but right now she was too enraged to think about the small details. Going back into her room, she got her baseball bat from under the bed. She would protect her store at all costs. _The Garden_ meant every thing to her and she would be damned to see anyone so much as lay a finger on a single book. So, armed with the bat, courage, and perhaps more than a little bit shortsightedness, Levy slipped out of her apartment and began to creep down her stairs.

Once she had reached the bottom, she paused—there were no more voices, no shuffling, no nothing, and for a moment she wondered if she'd just imagined it all. Then the whispers started up again and she quickly followed the sound. It led her to her side door, where all of her shipments came it. Two men were crouched in front of the door, their backs to the shop. One had bright pink hair and was not wearing a shirt, showcasing a lean and muscled build. The other was a taller, broader man with long, shaggy black hair. He had a duffel at his side and she could see flashes of silver piercings on his arms. He also had some angry looking scars peppering his tanned skin, corded muscles tense with anticipation.

For a moment, fear lanced through her. These men could take her down in a heartbeat. _Why didn't I called the police?_ What had she been thinking? Then she saw the glass on the floor and the window they had broken and her fury was back, pushing away the fear.

She hefted the bat over her shoulder when the pink haired man turned towards her. His smile halted and his eyes grew wide at the sight of her. The shaggy man seemed to recognize the look on his face and spun around to face Levy. He moved incredibly fast, considering his size. Pairing that with his intimidating piercings and harsh red eyes, Levy couldn't help but give a yelp of panic and she swung the bat with all her might at his face, surprising herself as much as the man before her.

The bat never even got close to its intended target. In a flash, the man had yanked the bag off the floor and used it as a cushion between his head and the bat. He tried to yank the bat from her hands, but Levy's grip had been so tight on the bat that he pulled her forward onto floor with a resounding thump.

"Shit," he growled.

Levy felt one of his hands clench her shirt and he pulled her up from the floor. He caged her in his arms and clapped his other hand over her mouth. She attempted to struggle against him, shouting through his hand.

"Shh!" the man hissed in her ear. "I'm not gonna hurt you but if they hear us we're all in for an ass-whooping. You want that? Cause I sure as hell don't."

Levy wondered for a moment who "they" where before she remembered the men loitering around in the alleyway; and her captor did sound genuinely concerned about their predicament. She took a deep breath through her nose and stilled, reigning in her anger. The man holding her did not loosen his grip—but then again, he wasn't holding her tightly enough to hurt her.

Straining her ears, she could hear a bit of shuffling and talking outside, but nothing much. She couldn't tell how close they were, though both of the men hiding just in front of her door looked tensed, ready to fight. The guy with pink hair looked almost anxious while the one pinning her to his chest looked more troubled. Clearly, whoever was outside was very close to finding them. What would they do to her poor store if they made it in? _Break the door in? Turn over the shelves? Trample my books?!_ Levy found herself praying that she hadn't given them away. She prayed that the men outside would give up and wander off.

After what seemed like an eternity, her prayers were answered. There was some mumbling outside that she couldn't make out, then some shuffling. The men in her store both relaxed, the pink haired one looked almost deflated. _What__'__s wrong with him?_

Suddenly, the red-eyed man was stood, pulling her up with him. He released her and backed away till his back was touching one of the book shelves. His partner, likewise, backed away from her with his hands up. He then scratched the back of his head and gave her a sheepish look of all things.

"Wow," he said, eliciting an exasperated sigh from the larger of the two. "I am so sorry!"

"Sorry?" Levy managed, utterly bemused at how casual he was acting. Had he not just broken into her store and nearly brought in a gang of thugs, itching for a fight, along with him?

"Yeah," he added. "Seriously, I had no idea that someone lived here. I thought this was just a business. If I'd known you were in here I would have chanced the fence. I never would have pulled a stranger into our mess."

"_Our_ mess?" the other one growled, raising a studded brow. Goodness, his piercings were everywhere—his ears, his eyebrows, his nose. There was no end to them.

"Um, so, are you okay, Miss?"

She turned her attention back to Pink, yet again, who was putting on a shirt.

"Am I okay?" she asked slowly. "Am I okay?!" She raised her voice with each word to showcase that, no, she was not, in fact, okay. "Well, let's see here!" She began to tick off on her fingers. "You broke into my store and my home, you nearly led those... those _hooligans_ outside in here as well. You scared my out of my wits and borderline assaulted me!" She pointed a finger at Shaggy to emphasis. "So what do you think?!"

Pink looked positively miserable at her proclamation. He looked like a kicked puppy and if she hadn't been so furious, she probably would have felt bad for him.

"I really am s—"

"I don't care about sorry. I just want you out, both of you!"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out some money.

"At least let me pay you for the window we broke," he insisted, holding out wad of cash.

"I don't want your money, I just want you out of my store."

"But . . ."

"_Now!_"

Shaggy pushed away from the shelf and grabbed his bag—which was at Levy's feet—and backed up towards the door.

"Come on, Natsu," he growled.

"But, I can't leave after causing her all this trouble."

"Natsu," he warned.

"Gajeel..."

"I think we've caused the lady _enough_ problems for one night." A dangerous edge had crept into his tone that silenced Pink—or rather, Natsu. "Stickin' around when she wants us to leave is a dick move. So we're gonna leave."

Gajeel opened the door and gestured for Natsu to go through. Natsu hesitated for another moment, then dropped his hand and skulked outside. Gajeel gave Levy one last look before closing the door, and the pair slipped off her porch and out into the night.

A few minutes later, her adrenaline finally wore off and Levy sagged against a shelf. _What an awful way to end the night_. She looked up at the door and noted the missing window, then down at the shards scattered all over the floor. With a sigh, she stood up straight and went to look for something to cover up the hole, as well as the broom.

"Natsu and Gajeel," she muttered, wondering if she should call the authorities. She shook her head. She wasn't a malicious person. Perhaps she was even too forgiving at times. They'd only been hiding from their attackers; and they apologized for breaking in, even offered to pay for the damage—she stopped. No, that wasn't right. Natsu had done all that.

"_Gajeel_," she said his name again, resent on her tongue, "that jerk did even attempt to apologize!"

* * *

**Woot! Another chapter comes to a close. As always please review, review, review. I hope I'll be able to give you a new chapter soon. At least in the next two weeks I hope. Anyways, until next time everyone.  
**


	4. Repairs Begin

**Well I'm back. Woot. Sorry for taking so long with this update, hopefully the next one won't take quite so much time. I had some issues with this chapter so ya, it took forever. Also other things but whatever. Anyways, enjoy.  
**

* * *

Levy yawned loudly and rubbed sleep from her eyes before returning her attention to the phone book in front of her. After she had ordered Gajeel and Natsu out of her shop she had to wander off to find a broom for the glass as well as something to cover the window they had shattered.

Once finished, she'd made some tea to calm her nerves and just sat around, worrying that they might come back. She knew it was unlikely that either of them would return to the store. She'd made it very clear they weren't welcome and they had clearly gotten the message, or at least, Gajeel had. That still left Natsu though, who had been very adamant about paying for her window.

"Just forget about it, Lev," she scolded herself.

Worrying about it now was pointless. They'd had all day to come back and they hadn't. Besides, there was still the matter of finding someone to fix the window for her. She looked at her back door and sighed. It was just a little window so it wouldn't cost much to replace but still, it was a major hassle, and the money that went into the window could have been added to her mortgage fund or something equally important. At least she had been working alone today. If Lucy had come in and seen the window she would have lost her mind. Levy shuddered to think what Jet or Droy's reaction would be.

Lost in thought, she almost didn't hear the little bell indicating that a customer had entered The Garden. Blinking rapidly to clear her head she turned her attention to the front door where a small man with snowy white hair had entered. He looked as though he had just stepped off a cruise ship with khaki shorts and floral pattern button up. Glancing around the store, he tugged thoughtfully at his moustache.

"Hello," Levy said cheerily, closing the phone book and giving the man her undivided attention. "How are you today?"

"I'm doing just fine, my dear, thank you," he answered.

His eyes continued to roam over the shelves until his eyes fell on the back door. He sighed and frowned at the sight of it.

"Something happen to your window, dear?" he asked, looking at her.

Levy glanced at the door briefly and returned her attention to the old man before replying, "It was just a minor disturbance last night. Everything turned out fine."

"Except for the window."

"Except for the window."

The man hummed and walked to the door to examine the damage.

"You really don't need to feel concerned sir. I'm looking for someone to come repair it as we speak," Levy said, patting her phone book.

"Oh, I don't think that will be necessary," the man replied, walking over to the desk. He really was incredibly short. "I take it you are the owner?"

Confused, Levy could only nod, "I am."

The old man smiled warmly and extended his hand. "Makarov Dreyar," he said.

Levy accepted his hand. "Levy McGarden."

"I really should apologize. I can tell I'm causing you some confusion."

"Umm, a little bit actually, yes."

"Well as I said my name is Makarov and I own a gym here in town. I believe that it was a couple of my fighters who caused all that commotion last night. One of my boys said you were understandably upset with them."

"Oh," Levy began to feel flustered just thinking about the two of them, "well, yes, I was pretty angry last night but like I said, I'm fine now."

"I'm glad to hear it, but I didn't come here just to see if you were alright. I myself was quite upset to hear about last night's events. I couldn't believe those two had just taken off like that."

"I didn't exactly want them to stick around." Levy interjected. "I understand that they were in a difficult situation which is why I never bothered involving the police but they did do some property damage and scared me half to death."

"Exactly!" proclaimed Makarov, throwing his hands into the air. "Yes, they should have let you be initially so you could collect yourself but the fact that I had to drag them down here to get them to clean up the mess they are responsible for is absolutely unacceptable."

"Wait..." Levy felt heat rising in her chest and colouring her face. "Did you say you brought them here?"

Makarov smiled and nodded, gesturing towards the large window. Levy slowly turned her head and sure enough the two men who had broken in last night where standing on the sidewalk. They were having some sort of argument with Natsu waving his arms around and pointing towards The Garden. Gajeel looked ready to kill the shorter man but kept himself more contained, if only marginally.

"Oh no," Levy squeaked, reaching up to clutch her hair. "Why would you _bring them here_?!" She covered her mouth with her hands, mortified. Had she really just spoken to a customer like that? Although he couldn't really be called a customer at this point, since he wasn't here to buy anything. "I don't mean to be rude but I really don't want the men who _broke into my store_ just casually hanging around."

"And they won't be," Makarov reassured her. "They're just going to fix what they broke, then they'll be on their way. You won't ever see them again."

"I really appreciate the thought but -"

"Nonsense," Makarov interjected, waving his hand in the air. "They did the damage, they can clean it up. Miss McGarden, I brought them here to teach them a lesson and to help you. Regardless of their reasons they can't break into peoples homes or businesses—and you'd think a couple of men in their mid twenties would have learned that my now—but no, old master Makarov has to drag their sorry asses down here—" he stopped himself there. "Anyways, they'll fix your window and then be out of your hair for good, alright?"

Levy hesitated and the old man crossed his arms, "It's the only way to get rid of me, dear, I assure you."

"Alright, alright!" Levy practically shouted, throwing her hands in the air. "Send them in, I'm closing in fifteen minutes anyways."

Makarov beamed at her. "Wonderful," he shook her hand again and turned towards the door. "I'll send them right in.

* * *

Levy watched out the window as Makarov exchanged a few words with Gajeel and Natsu before the two of them began trudging their way in; Gajeel picking up what appeared to be a tool kit off the ground at his feet before following Natsu. Whatever Makarov had said to them had apparently put them both in a much more somber mood. Natsu looked like a kicked dog, which was a look she was already getting used to whereas Gajeel looked like a thunderstorm caught up inside a mans body.

The bell rang as the two men headed in. Natsu stood awkwardly in the doorway while Gajeel stood impatiently behind him. The moment lasted for maybe three seconds before Gajeel got impatient and shoved Natsu further inside. He followed behind and shut the door.

"The old man's still outside, dumbass," Gajeel growled.

"Whatever, you didn't have to push me," Natsu sulked.

"What are you? Nine years old?"

"Shut the fuck up, ass wipe."

"What did you just call me?"

Levy interjected before Natsu could reply.

"Enough!" she snapped. Both men turned their gazes on her. "You can't swear in here," she said firmly. "What if a customer had walked in?"

Natsu looked away before mumbling an apology. Gajeel only glared.

"Now, you two are here to fix the window right?" She waved towards the back door. "Please do so. I'm sure you know where to go."

Natsu nodded and walked over to the door but Gajeel didn't move.

"Yes?" Levy asked, growing impatient with the sullen man.

"Can you put my coat behind the desk or something? It's fu-" He paused. "It's hot in here."

Levy tried not to smile. He had actually made an effort to follow one of her rules. Nodding, Levy held out her hand and Gajeel shrugged off his jacket and handed it to her. Then he grabbed his kit and followed Natsu. Levy watched Natsu peel off the cardboard Levy had taped over the hole while Gajeel found a garbage can and checked around the door for any glass Levy might have missed. Taking a look at the old grandfather clock Levy had set up in the corner she realized that it was about time she closed up shop.

"Thank goodness for quiet Sundays," she muttered as she locked her front door and flipped her sign over. She also closed the curtains so the sun wouldn't shine through in the morning and make the place so unbearably hot.

"Hey, Miss McGarden!" Natsu called. Levy turned around as Natsu walked up to her.

"Levy is fine," she said with a smile. He was a bubbly guy and she was finding it hard not to like him. "What's up?"

"Well we got the measurements for the window, so I'm gonna go pick it up—but you've still got some glass and stuff stuck in the window, so if it's alright with you Gajeel would like to stay here. Get it cleaned up."

Levy nodded, "That's fine by me."

"Alright then, mind letting me out?"

Again, Levy nodded her consent and unlocked the door for Natsu.

"Thanks. Gaj, I'll be back in a bit."

"Yep," he waved absently as he dug glass from the window frame.

After Natsu had gone Levy wandered over to Gajeel to check on his progress. It looked like he had gotten all the glass and was rummaging around his tool kit. She hung back a few feet, unsure how or even _if_ she should approach him.

"You need something?" he asked, looking up at her.

"Um, no, just, uh, just wondering why," she couldn't figure out what to say to him. "Why didn't you go to get the window too?"

He grinned, "You mean why didn't I go get the window instead?"

"No!" snapped Levy. "That's not what I meant at all!" She paused when Gajeel gave her a sceptical look. "It's just that you seem be a bit more level-headed than Natsu, I guess."

"Yeah, normally I would've probably would have gone to get whatever it was we needed—but I came here on my bike, so getting a window from point A to point B wasn't really gonna happen. Also, Natsu used to work at the hardware store I sent him to, so he might be able to get a discount."

She put here hands on her hips and smirked at him, "Oh, so now you're going to be cheap about helping me?"

Gajeel smirked right back at her and replied, "Savvy. We're gonna be _savvy_ about helping you."

"Mhmm," Levy said, unconvinced. Changing the subject she asked, "How are you going to get the window back in? Don't you have to fit it in the groves?"

Gajeel nodded and some of his long hair slipped free of its elastic. "Yeah, what we have to do is take this little border off here and then we can just slide the pane in. The we glue the border back on and it's done." He tapped on the frame as he spoke. "I just need a flat-headed screwdriver to pry the border off."

"Okay," Levy said, she bent down and looked through the tool kit until she found the screwdriver. "Here you go."

"Thanks," he said, reaching out for it.

As he extended his arm she noted once again that his arm was peppered in scars. There was one particular cluster that caught her attention. The scar tissue was mangled and a little bit discoloured. Scars left behind by needles, lots of them. Gajeel noticed her staring and withdrew his arm.

"Yeah, those are what you think they are but you ain't got nothing to worry about. I'm clean. Makarov wouldn't send a junkie in to fix up your window."

Levy blushed, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, biting the inside of her cheek. "I didn't mean to stare."

Gajeel shrugged, "It's all good. It's kinda hard to miss I guess. Besides, like I said, I'm clean, ain't got nothing to hide."

Levy nodded but let the subject go. Although he said he had nothing to hide it was clear by his tone that he'd rather not discuss it.

"Um, anyways, here's that screwdriver," she said, handing it to him.

Gajeel accepted the tool and got to work, carefully prying the border away from the door. Once he was done, he set it aside and tidied up before taking a seat on one of the plush armchairs Levy had furnished the store with.

"Now we just gotta wait for Nat-" Gajeel's ringing phone cut him off and he pulled the cell from his pocket.

"Huh, what'a y'know," he looked up a Levy, "What's that saying, speak of the devil and he shall appear?"

"I don't think that's quite the same thing."

Gajeel shrugged and answered the phone.

"You're on speaker so don't say anything too stupid," he said upon answering.

"I'll do my best." Natsu grumbled from the other end of the line.

Gajeel let out a laugh. It sounded kind of weird to Levy, but it seemed to suit him just fine.

"So what's up, Natsu?" Levy asked.

There was some shuffling on Natsu's end before he replied, "Well, I've got good news, bad news, and worse news."

Gajeel rolled his eyes a bit.

"Saw that coming a mile away. Let's hear it."

"First of all, fuck you," Natsu huffed.

"What's wrong, Natsu?" Levy asked, shooting Gajeel a look to get him to knock it off.

"Hear that Gajeel? That's how you respond to your obviously distressed friend."

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind for next time. Right now though, tell me what's up?"

"Yeah, okay. So the good news is I got the window. The bad news is that I broke it and the worse news is that I don't have the cash for a second one."

Gajeel groaned and flopped backwards, his head thumping the back of the chair, "Guess I'm going to the hardware store."

"Yeah, well, sorry Levy," Natsu mumbled.

"It's fine, Natsu. We'll be over in a minute."

"We?" Gajeel said, sitting up.

Levy nodded, "Might as well. It's not like I've got anything to do here."

"You do remember me saying I came here on a bike, right?"

"Was it a pedal bike?"

Gajeel snorted, "Of course not, don't go insulting me, Shorty."

She raised a brow at him and opened the door. "Then lead the way."

* * *

**Okay, so that ones done. I'd love it if you guys continued to review. I love me some feedback! So important news. NANOWHRIMO is coming up in November which for those of you who don't know what that is its basically this big writing competition of sorts. Anyways, I'll be participating in that hopefully, so I may not post at all in November. IF that is the case I apologize in advance but we'll see what happens.**


	5. Repairs End

**Sup everybody! So I'm back with chapter five. As I mentioned last chapter NANOWHRIMO is this month and since I'm not ready to start my original work I'm going to focus on this instead so if all goes well you'll get some extra chapter updates this month. Just a warning my awesome editor was not available for this chapter and probably won't be for the rest of the month as he is also participating. So there may be a few extra mistakes hidden in upcoming chapters. Feel free to point any out and I'll be sure to fix as many as I can. **

**Fairy Tail and its characters are owned by Hiro Mashima**

* * *

"Come on," Gajeel said, stepping onto the sidewalk. "I parked down at the end of the street."

"One second, please," replied Levy as she locked the door behind her. She stowed her keys and turned to follow Gajeel who was already out of the alley. _Damn tall people with their long legs, _she thought as she rushed after him. Once she caught up he started to move again, quickly leaving her behind with his lengthy strides.

"Could you maybe slow down?" Levy shouted after him, feeling somewhat winded.

Gajeel looked over his shoulder and let out another one of his strange laughs.

"Sorry, not used to being around people with such itty bitty legs," he smirked.

Levy sputtered indignantly and rushed ahead of him.

"Well I'm not used to being around people with such awful social skills."

Again, he laughed and in a few short steps he was beside her again but he slowed his pace so that Levy could keep up easily.

"Thank you," Levy huffed, not feeling all that thankful.

Gajeel grunted and pointed out his bike, which was parked across the street. As they crossed, Levy was able to get a better look at it she realized it was an old Harley Davidson that had been kept in absolutely pristine condition. The chrome gleamed in the sunlight and the leather seats looked practically new. A fierce looking dragon had been painted on the side of the fuel tank.

"Wow," Levy said, marvelling at the fine piece of machinery.

"You like it?" Gajeel asked. "Shoulda' see the thing when I bought it. Fucking thing was practically scrap metal then. Took me years just to get it running."

"That sound like a lot of effort."

"It was worth it." Gajeel turned to her suddenly. "Why'd you wanna come with me to get the new window? It's a fucking boring way to spend your evening."

Levy was surprised by the sudden shift in the conversation, most guys loved to ramble on about their toys but Gajeel was apparently more interested in Levy's motives.

"Oh, well, mostly I'm just kind of stalling so I don't have to do any of my own end of day chores, I guess."

Gajeel nodded and turned away from her. Leaning down he unlocked his saddle bags and pulled out his helmet. Next, he dug out a second helmet and passed it to her before mounting the bike and turning it over. It roared to life and Gajeel patted the fuel tank.

"Well, hurry up," Gajeel said. "We oughta' get to Natsu before he wrecks something else."

Levy nodded and pulled the helmet on. She had expected the thing to be too loose but the helmet fit snugly. In fact, it was almost too tight. There was absolutely no way that Gajeel could get this thing on his head.

"Your spare is really small!" she shouted over the engine, climbing onto the bike.

"It's not mine," he called back, rolling away from the sidewalk and then gunning it.

Levy shouted in surprise as the bike lurched forward and she wrapped her arms around his middle, afraid she might get thrown off. She could feel him shaking with laughter and she punched his in the back.

"Jerk!"

* * *

Gajeel couldn't figure this woman out. Less than twenty-four hours ago, he and Natsu had broken into her business and home and she'd been understandably furious. Now she was riding on the back of his bike, taking a trip with him to the hardware store. He'd met some forgiving women in his life but this?

After she'd hit him he had slowed down to a more reasonable speed and she'd unwrapped her arms from his torso and was now loosely gripping his shirt. Honestly he was tempted to speed up again but she was so small. He honestly wondered if a sudden acceleration might throw her from the bike.

"Better not risk it," he mumbled.

"What!" Levy shouted over the wind.

"Nothing, we're almost there," he replied.

A few moments later, Gajeel pulled into the parking lot of the hardware store. Parking next to Natsu's truck, he pushed his kickstand out and turned off the bike. Levy was quick to jump off. She yanked her helmet off and practically threw it at him. He caught the helmet with a laugh and dismounted himself.

"What's up, Shorty? Still pissed about our jump-start?" He asked stowing both helmets and following her into the store.

"I haven't been on a motorcycle in years and that was an awful reintroduction to them, thanks a lot!" she snapped back.

He raised his hands in defeat.

"Alright, lesson learned. Won't happen again"

She took a deep breath and combed her fingers through her hair. She was tiny but she was still one hell of a looker. Gajeel wasn't going to deny that normally he was a shameless dog who would be staring at her ass outright, but he had a feeling that if Levy caught him she'd skin him alive, so for his own good health, he tried to keep his focus elsewhere.

"Good," she said, turning back to him. "Now let's go find Natsu and get that window."

"I don't think we have to," Gajeel said, nodding towards the doors. Natsu was standing just outside chatting with one of his old coworkers. Laki was her name. She didn't really look like the time to work at a tool store slash lumber yard, what with her love of dresses and bows, but she had a knack for wood carving and the owner gave her plenty of free planks and the rest to do just that, so she seemed happy enough.

Natsu waved them both over and Laki did the same.

"Hey, Gajeel," she said. "How've you been? I haven't seen you in forever."

"Fine," he replied, walking past her into the store. He just wanted to get the damn window and get out.

"I have never met anyone as... brisk as he is," Levy stated.

"You don't have to be nice about it," Natsu laughed. "He's an ass and he knows it."

"Go fu-,"

"Don't swear!" snapped Levy. "There could be other customers in here."

"She told you," Natsu crowed, jogging after him. Levy followed close behind.

"You watch your language, too," she chastised Natsu, who deflated under her matronly tone.

"Anyways, Laki, how 'bout that window?" Gajeel hollered over the window.

"Just getting a new one cut for you in the back. Should be done in a minute or two." she replied, cheerily.

"Alright." Gajeel turned to Natsu, "You grabbed some caulking?"

Natsu snorted in surprise then covered his mouth, trying to contain his laughter.

"What the fu- hell is so funny?" he snapped, folding his arms over his chest.

"_Cocking_?!" Natsu choked out.

Gajeel slapped the side of his head, "Grow up a for five minutes. Silicone, then, so we can seal the window."

Natsu burst into full out laughter at that. He doubled over and clutched his chest.

"What the fuck is so damn funny!" Gajeel shouted.

Levy jabbed him in the ribs.

"Stop swearing!" she hissed.

He turned to glower at her while Natsu tried to get it together.

"Caulking," he muttered, still trying to stifle his laughter "Silicone."

"What?" Gajeel was so confused. He understood why Natsu thought the word cocking was funny. The guy had the brain of a fifteen year old but silicone seemed just as funny to him.

Levy apparently got it, though, saying, "They use silicone in things like lube and-" she clapped her hands over her mouth and turned bright red. "Oh my god, I can't believe I just said that."

"Neither can I," Gajeel replied, blinking at her. Then he turned back to Natsu, "Are you seriously laughing over something that stupid? Did you get some or not."

Natsu shook his head.

"That's all I wanted to know," he started to go down the isle when he stopped and whirled around. "Wait, if you couldn't afford a second window how did you expect to pay for the cocking!"

Bursting into another fit of giggles, Natsu just shook his head, "Didn't know we'd need any."

Gajeel could only groan before heading down one of the isles and grabbing what he needed before going up to Laki who was at the till. She had grabbed the window from the back and was already ringing it through. Levy and Natsu joined him, Natsu still chuckling like an idiot and Levy still blushing.

"Thanks," he muttered, passing her the tube of silicone. He looked at the till and noticed a sign that said _Help Wanted._ "You looking for another body around here?" Gajeel asked.

"Huh? Oh yes, but I don't think you'd be able to work here. You wouldn't be allowed to keep any of your piercings for safety reasons." Laki replied with an apologetic shrug.

Gajeel sighed, "Worth a shot, I guess."

* * *

Five minutes after Gajeel had paid for everything, Levy found herself in the front seat of Natsu's truck with the new window on her lap. Natsu was climbing into the truck, while Gajeel was getting on his bike.

"Don't drive like an idiot and make her drop the window or something," Gajeel growled. "I don't think they'll cut us another one."

Natsu shrugged and grinned like the Cheshire Cat.

"As long as we're paying, I'm pretty sure they don't care how many windows they cut us."

Gajeel rubbed is eyes and groaned.

"Let me rephrase," he ground out. "I don't want to _pay_ for another damn window."

"Phrasing's everything with me, dude," Natsu replied. "Don't worry, I'll be careful."

Gajeel grunted, apparently content with Natsu's answer. He turned his bike over and shot off, leaving Levy alone with Natsu in the parking lot.

"He's... intense," Levy remarked as Natsu turned the truck over and pulled out onto the street.

"Yeah, he's not usually this bad but he's on a bit of a short fuse today," Natsu scratched the side of his face. He looked kind of embarrassed. "We both took a bit of a verbal beating from Gramps, err, Makarov today, but Gajeel really got it good."

"What do you mean?"

"Gaj had a meeting with Makarov this morning, but never mentioned last night to him. Thought it'd be better if we just left you alone, I guess, but my guilty continence got the better of me and I told Gramps everything during training," Natsu laughed and shrugged. "Gaj may have had his ass handed to him a little bit."

"By Mr. Dreyar?" Levy asked skeptically.

"Old fart can be as terrifying as he is charming," Natsu said with a shudder. "The guy does own a gym with some of the roughest fighters in the business. You kind of need to be tough to deal with people like that."

"Oh, yeah, that's right. I remember a few mentions about that. So you and Gajeel are in, like, the UFC and stuff like that."

"Well, we're mixed martial artists but we don't normally do fights in big circuits. You'd be surprised by the drama."

"Huh," was all Levy could come back with.

* * *

Back at _the Garden_, Gajeel was already waiting to be let back in when Natsu and Levy arrived. Levy passed Natsu the keys and carefully slid out of the truck, wary of the small windowpane in her hands. They all went around the back and entered through the back door.

Levy handed the window to Gajeel, who immediately got back to work. Levy backed away from the man. She could practically feel thunderclouds forming over his head.

"Umm," Levy began, "So do you guys want something to drink or..."

Gajeel grunted and Levy couldn't tell if that was a yes or not. Luckily, Natsu was there to interpret. He gave her a big toothy grin and nodded.

"Yeah, that'd be awesome," he said, walking over to her. "Can I help you bring everything down?"

Levy smiled at Natsu, he certainly had a likeable demeanor. She had a feeling that Natsu made friends with almost everyone he met. Not at all like Gajeel. She couldn't fathom how the two of them had become friends. Or how _anyone_ could possibly enjoy the mans company. Levy certainly didn't think she'd want him hanging around after all of this was said and done; and yet, as she followed Natsu up the stairs, she could help but glance over her shoulder to get another look at him.

* * *

By the time Levy and Natsu came back downstairs with three glasses of iced tea, Gajeel was already cleaning up. The new window was in place and other than being kind of smudged up and dirty it was like the window had never been broken at all.

"Wow, that was fast," Levy commented, holding out a glass to Gajeel.

He accepted the glass and took a drink before shrugging.

"It was an easy job," he said. "So you're gonna want to let it sit awhile before you touch it. The caulking," Natsu snickered and Gajeel tensed but continued, "still needs time to set."

He pulled a rumpled looking business card out of his pocket and handed it to Levy. "If something goes wrong with it just call me and I'll stop by to fix it again." He pulled out his phone and frowned at it.

"Shit, I'm gonna be late," he growled. He quickly gathered his things and made a beeline for the door, leaving his unfinished drink on the front counter. The door shut behind him and Levy could see him break into a jog.

She gave Natsu a look who blinked in confusion and shrugged, "Job interview, maybe?"

"How can you put up with him?" she asked.

Again, Natsu shrugged and took a drink of his tea, "It helps that I've known him my whole life, I guess and like I said earlier, he's had a crappy day. He's slightly less of a douche when he's in a good mood. Promise."

Levy hummed skeptically. She looked at the card Gajeel had given her and tucked it into her pocket. "If you say so."

* * *

**Okay, there's another chapter. Sorry for those hoping that this story would get intense fast. It's definitely a slow build story. Anyways, as always I would love to hear from you guys so please leave me a review or whatever. Thanks guys, hopefully we'll have chapter six up real soon. **


	6. Authors Note

**Corrections notice:Hey guys. So it was pointed out to me yesterday by some peeps (Thanks guys!) that I had made a really silly spelling error a few times while writing. The worst thing about it was is that I knew how I was supposed to spell the word but I was so caught up in my awful, terrible joke that I missed it like four times. For which I am so sorry. That had to have been awful for some of you to read. Anyways the error has been corrected. Woot.**

**If anyone actually cares what the spelling mistake was I spelt the work _caulking _as cocking. Embarrassing and stupid but it was actually kind of a funny mistake to me anyways.**

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**I would also like to mention that someone has asked me to make the chapters longer so I'm going to try my best to do just that. They'll probably only be longer by one or two thousand words so I hope that'll be enough for you guys. I make no promises though. **

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**Notice any other errors? Have other requests for the chapters? Any characters you would like to meet in upcoming chapters? Message me or leave a comment in the reviews. I'm totally open to recommendations for the story. Hope to hear from you all soon and I'll have chapter six up soon. **

**Talk at ya later,**

**Nyss**

P.S. I'm probably going to delete this notice after I post a couple more chapters so it doesn't clog up the story.


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